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Virgin Monk Boy's avatar

Oh this is divine satire served medium rare.

The image of Jesus sighing at Coldplay while Buddha plugs his ears and Socrates roasts everyone in sight? Chef’s kiss. 👨‍🍳💋

But the kicker—the heart of it—isn’t just the hilarity. It’s the truth behind the joke: that the Way was never meant to be weaponized, that Truth isn’t threatened by other languages of the sacred, and that Life… well, Life just wants to laugh with its friends and maybe split a molten lava cake at Applebee’s.

This piece doesn’t just poke fun—it invites us to unbutton our dogma, pour a fresh cup of humility, and sit down with the saints we’ve sanitized out of context.

More of this, please. The Church needs it. We all do.

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Joe Boyd's avatar

I'm committed to one episode/week. If Virgin Monk boy has suggestions of where these three should venture next, fire away.

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TheRealRajko's avatar

How about a pro-life protest?

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Joe Boyd's avatar

Good idea! I am working on a gun show one now. If you missed it, you might like the megachurch one - https://deconstructedpastor.substack.com/p/jesus-buddha-and-socrates-attend-505?utm_source=publication-search

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TheRealRajko's avatar

Thanks, I liked that one too ☺️

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Lindsay Dover's avatar

Love the creative writings

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Joe Boyd's avatar

Thank you :)

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Karen Sommer's avatar

The only way you could get me to go into a megachurch is if Buddha, Jesus, & Socrates took me along. I would like to hear Jesus sing in Aramaic.

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Joe Boyd's avatar

In my mind, it was a little off key. I need a Jesus without perfect pitch.

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Karen Sommer's avatar

Me too, & I think when Jesus lived as a human, he didn’t care about being perfect, just loving & compassionate.

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Denise's avatar

...but it's written in red... (I was called blasphemous for not agreeing to literal translation with a family member when I was in high school.)

Chili's is better, btw.

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Joe Boyd's avatar

If you didn't blaspheme in high school you were doing it wrong. :)

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Janee Jarrell's avatar

I'm still trying for one blasphemy a month.

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Joe Boyd's avatar

😂

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Sharon Castillo's avatar

This is so great. How fun to see these three making good trouble!!

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Joe Boyd's avatar

Thank you :)

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NicCann's avatar

Even the titles of these bits of imaginative speculation get the mind shooting off into such a scene. I think all three of them would approve.

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Joe Boyd's avatar

:)

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Steve Boatright's avatar

Loved this Joe, humour and story telling are such good, and traditional, ways of getting messages across.

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Joe Boyd's avatar

Thank you, Steve. I also feel strangely better about myself receiving a compliment with humour spelled with a U. :)

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Steve Boatright's avatar

😃

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Tara Gelhaus's avatar

You've struck gold with another one Joe! I also think Socrates is slowly becoming my favorite character in these.

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Joe Boyd's avatar

Thank you! He's getting Chandler Bing vibes the more we go along.

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Beatrice mendetz's avatar

What we know

These 3 would be deported IMMEDIATELY to lower slobovia ( no internet or A/C )

Immigrants

Maybe TPS maybe a green card.,maybe none of those

Papers please???

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Joe Boyd's avatar

An ICE encounter is an interesting idea

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Aimee Celeste's avatar

The line, “Jesus shrugs. “And if there were only one church needing one bowling alley…I still would’ve done it all over again, “ had me laughing out loud. Thanks.

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